Mounts for stuffed toy animal eyes and means for concealing same



May 24, 1966 BRUDNEY 3,252,246

MOUNTS FOR STUFFED TOY ANIMAL EYES AND MEANS FOR CONCEALING SAME FiledJuly 9, 1962 INVENTOR A ar/y ram n9 ATTORNEY United States Patent3,252,246 MOUNTS FOR STUFFED TOY ANIMAL EYES AND MEANS FOR CONCEALINGSAME Harry Brudney, New York, N.Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, toJacoby-Bender, Inc., Woodside, N.Y., a

corporation of New York Filed July 9, 1962, Ser. No. 208,295 9 Claims.(Cl. 46-169) This invention relates to eye mounts for stuffed toyanimals having a fabric skin of soft texture with simulated fur andconstitutes an improvement over the disclosure shown in my previouslyfiled patent application Ser. No. 176,238, dated Feb. 28, 1962.

In the previously filed application there is shown a novel method forsecurely holding a sleeping doll eye in place within an aperture of theskin of a stuffed toy animal. The particular feature of novelty in thatapplication resides in the coaction of the eye casing with a frictionalgripping ring which secures the marginal area of the aperture to the eyecasing to form a mechanical bond. However, in the construction shown,the particular component, namely a flange, part of the eye casing whichreacted with the gripping ring was too visible at the front of the toyanimal and did not present a natural appearance of a toy animal havingfur completely surrounding the eye opening. Accordingly, it is a primaryobject of the present invention to provide an eye casing in coactionwith a gripping ring such that the simulated fur of the animal skinfully surrounds the eye opening and no mechanical gripping component isvisible. This produces a very realistic effect. Another object of thepresent invention is to provide a readily molded front eye shell, whichin coaction with the gripping ring can achieve the desired effect. Otherobjects and features of the invention will be apparent from thedescription to follow.

Briefly, the invention contemplates -a rounding or bevel shaping of thefront and rear of the plastic molded front shell, which in coaction witha gripping ring effects a release of the simulated fur material aroundthe eye shell front so that such material effectively covers the frontmargin of the shell and in fact leaves substantially only the eyeaperture visible. In other words, the result produced is entirelynatural in appearance in that the toy animal eyes seem to peer throughthe surrounding fur.

A detailed description of the invention now follows, in conjunction withthe appended drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view in elevation of the essential elements of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the gripping ring used in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the gripping ring used in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the front eye shell shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an assembly view, in elevation and partially in section, of aneye mounted. in the aperture of a fabric simulated fur toy animal skin;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the eye of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevation partially in section of an eye with a modifiedtype of locking ring;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the modified ring, and;

FIG. 9 is an elevation partially in section of an assembly using themodified ring of FIG. 7, the eye being mounted in a simulated animalskin.

Referring now to the drawing, FIGS. 1 through 6, the invention comprisesa plastic front eye shell 10 of the general type commercially used inthe trade having the body portion 13 which shell will be understood tohouse a movable weighted sleeping doll eye, pivotally carried ontrunnions in an entirely conventional manner, the

3,252,245 Patented May 24, 1966 details of which do not form any part ofthe present invention, and accordingly are not shown. The shell 10 isprovided with a forwardly disposed peripheral formation comprising arear bevel 16 and a rounded front bevel 20. The radial area 23 extendinginwardly from the front bevel 20 is generally flat and has extendingtherefrom eye socket formations 26 and 30 around an aperture 31 whichare spherically shaped to house a portion of the eyeball 33 and whichmerge into recesses 34 at the aperture corners. Thus, the moldedportions 26 and 30 form simulated upper and lower lids respectively,although a lash 40, preferably a so-called soft lash, is secured to theeyeball and moves therewith in a well known manner. A metallic rearcasing 44 is provided which telescopes with frictional grip on the frontshell casing portion 13 and has the usual diametrically opposed bulgessuch as 47, which fit other corresponding bulges such as 50 of the frontshell, such bulges 50 being understood to efiect guide ways withinportion 13 so that the eyeball, with integral trunnions, can be slidinto position, all in a heretofore familiar manner. A locking ring 54 isprovided having a radial flange 57, a recess 60 and a longitudinal skirt63 terminating in radially disposed gripping lips 66. The skirt 63 isprovided with arcuate bulges 70 to conform to the bulges 47. As shown inFIG. 5 the eye is assembled on simulated animal for or plush, hairy,material 74. Such material has a fabric back 77 and a furrymass offibrous hair-like material extending generally outwardly from thebacking 77. Such material is well known and conventional. It will benoted from FIG. 5 that the lips 66 are engaged against the casingportion 13 and it will be further understood that such lips stronglygrip the casing portion to hold the locking ring in place thereon. Theeye fits through an aperture 80 in the material 74 and the marginal areaof the aperture is securely pinched and gripped between the bevel 16 andthe longitudinal and radial walls of the recess 60. The material is thuscompressed and mechanically secured. However, due to the flufliness ofthe material and the bevel provided at 16, the simulated fur 74 which iscomprised of closely spaced soft fibers or hairs expand to encompass thebevel portion 16 and 20, and bends therearound to substantially hide thebevel front of the shell around the eye, bevel 20 forming a relieffunnel-like relief region into which the fibers can expand or spread.The frontal view gives an effect of an animal eye deeply recessed withinthe face skin, as shown in FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 through 9, a modified form of locking ring isshown having a considerably larger recess 84 at the front portion whichrecess is formed by the sloping wall 87 of the locking ring, and thefront bevel 20 of the eye shell. The radial forward flange 89 of thering is substantially in the plane of front surface of the shell.The-sloping wall 87,- in coaction with the rear bevel 16 pinches thefabric material therebetween to form a secure mechanical grip. However,the furlike strands are permitted to fluff or expand in the recess 84 atthe face of the shell and thus extend forwardly to substantially concealthe frontal area 23 of the shell. The assembly View of FIG. 9 shows thegeneral effect and it is believed that for certain eye sizes such effectof permitting expansion of the fur surrounding the front shell isadvantageous. The factors which determine a choice of the relativelyshallow recess 60 of FIG. 5 or the larger recess 84 of FIG. 7, dependsto a large extent not only on the eye size, but on the type of furmaterial used and the relative length of the fur fibers as compared withthe eye size.

Having thus described my invention, I am aware that various changes maybe made without departing from the spirit thereof, and therefore I donot seek to be limited to the precise illustrations herein given, exceptas set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a doll eye and a fibrous hairy skin for a toyanimal, said doll eye having a front shell, said skin having anaperture, said front shell being disposed in said aperture and having anenlarged portion on the face side of said skin, a locking ring on theother side of said skin and means for effecting a grip of said ring onsaid skin to secure said front shell thereto, said ring having a flangeforming a skinexpansion recess with said enlarged portion, the marginalportion of the skin around said aperture being compressed against theradially inner margin of said enlarged portion by said ring, the hairsof said skin extending from a compressed region into said recess toeffect flufiing and substantial concealment of said enlarged portion bycurling-therearound. 4

2. A doll eye for a stuffed toy animal having a furlike skin comprisedof a backing material from which fibers extend, said doll eye having afront portion comprising a shell having an aperture for exposure of aneyeball and having a relatively narrow flat marginal radial areasurrounding said aperture and terminating periph- I erally in arearwardly sloped bevel, such bevel extending to the extreme outerperiphery of said shell, and said shell having a second bevel extendingfrom said extreme periphery and being relatively oppositely sloped withrespect to said first bevel, a ring secured with respect to said shell,said ring having wall portions forming a flaring recess with respect tosaid second bevel said skin expanding in said recess.

3. In a device as set forth in claim 2, said wall portions of said ringextending forwardly so that said recess encompasses said first mentionedbevel.

4. In a device as set forth in claim 3, said ring having lockingelements, said shell having a body portion, a rear casing telescopedover said body portion, said locking elements frictionally gripping saidrear casing.

5. The combination of an eye and simulated fur toy animal skin, saidskin having an aperture for accommodating said eye, said eye having abody portion extending rearwardly through said aperture and having afront flange contiguous with said skin, a gripping ring having a borewith a marginal portion clamping the marginal material of said skinaperture against said flange, said gripping ring having a flangedisposed to form a flaring recess with the flange of said eye effectiveto permit expansion of said skin within said recess, said skin having ahairy texture comprising fibers which effect curling around said eyeflange and being urged toward said eye flange by the flange of saidgripping ring.

6. The combination of an eye and simulated fur toy animal skin, saidskin having an aperture for accommodating said eye, said eye having abody portion extending rearwardly through said aperture and having afront flange presenting a front surface extending in a radial plane anda rear surface, said flange being contiguous with said skin, a grippingring having a bore with a marginal portion clamping the marginalmaterial of said skin aperture against said flange, said gripping ringhaving a flange disposed to form a flaring recess with the flange ofsaid eye eifective to permit expansion of said skin within said recess,said skin having a hairy texture comprising fibers which effect curlingaround said eye flange and being urged toward said eye flange by theflange of said gripping ring, wherein the flange of said gripping ringhas a portion in the radial plane of the front surface of said eyeflange.

7. In a device as set forth in claim 5, said eye flange having arearwardly sloping bevel and the flange of said gripping ring being in aradial plane intersecting said bevel.

8.;In a device of the class described, an eye assembly comprising aunitary eye having a front shell with a forward flange thereon and agripping ring to be disposed with respect to said shell to clamp asimulated skin thereto adjacent the base of said flange, said grippingring having a formation effecting an expansion recess around said flangeto permit fluffing of a fur-like skin between said flange and saidformation, said formation being disposable with respect to said flangeto urge simulated fur fibers forwardly over said flange.

9. In a device of the class described, an eye assembly for a toy animalcomprising an eye unit in combination With the skin of said toy, saidskin being simulated fur and having fibers extending from a basematerial and having an aperture, said eye unit extending into saidaperture and having a flange radially therearound engaging the marginalarea of said aperture at one side thereof, and a gripping ring at theother side of said aperture mounted on said eye unit and having meansfor gripping said eye unit, and having a bore through which said eyeunit passes, a marginal area of said bore being closely adjacent theradial inner marginal area of said flange so as to clamp the marginalarea of said skin aperture against said flange, said gripping ringhaving a radially extending portion encompassing at least a portion ofsaid flange to form a recess wherein the fibers of said skin expand soas to be unimpeded in extending over said flange in emerging from saidrecess, said radially extending portion of said gripping ring engagingsaid skin and urging said skin toward said flange.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 952,716 3/1910Steiner 46-164 1,329,509 2/1920 Dane et al. 46169 X 1,432,704 10/ 1922Lichtenstein.

1,668,785 5/1928 Smart 46--156 X 1,676,096 7/1928 Kwasnicki 461732,511,010 6/ 1950 Huelster. 2,763,031 9/1956 Rekettye 46-165 X 2,763,9609/1956 Wintriss 46117 X 2,799,971 7/1957 Brudney 46-165 2,928,208 3/1960Wintriss 461 17 X FOREIGN PATENTS 634,614 3/1950 Great Britain.

' RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

F. B. SHAY, Assistant Examiner.

1. THE COMBINATIN OF A DOLL EYE AND A FIBROUS HAIRY SKIN FOR A TOYANIMAL, SAID DOLL EYE HAVING A FRONT SHELL, SAID SKIN HAVING ANAPERTURE, SAID FRONT SHELL BEING DISPOSED IN SAID APERTURE AND HAVING ANENLARGED PORTION ON THE FACE SIDE OF SAID SKIN, A LOCKING RING ON THEOTHER SIDE OF SAID SKIN AND MEANS FOR EFFECTING A GRIP OF SAID RING ONSAID SKIN TO SECURE SAID FRONT SHELL THERETO, SAID RING HAVING A FLANGEFORMING A SKIN EXPANSION RECESS WITH SAID ENLARGED PORTION, THE MARGINALPORTION OF THE SKIN AROUND SAID APERTURE BEING COMPRESSED AGAINST THERADIALLY INNER MARGIN OF SAID ENLARGED PORTION BY SAID RING, THE HAIRSOF SAID SKIN EXTENDING FROM A COMPRESSED REGION INTO SAID RECESS TOEFFECT FLUFFING AND SUBSTANTIAL CONCEALEMENT OF SAID ENLARGED PORTION BYCURLING THEREAROUND.